Highly electronegative borophene/PVDF composite hybrid nanofibers based triboelectric nanogenerator for self-powered sensor for human motion monitoring and energy harvesting from rain

Abstract

In recent advancements in energy harvesting, triboelectric nanogenerators(TENG) have emerged as promising candidates for powering various sensors and small electronic devices autonomously. So, this work focuses on the development of a novel TENG utilizing borophene/PVDF hybrid nanofibers and Al as tribo-materials. Sono-chemically synthesized borophene and PVDF hybrid nanofibers are fabricated by electrospinning method. The formation of borophene/PVDF hybrid nanofibers is confirmed by different physiochemical characterization like Transmission Electron microscopy (TEM), X-Ray diffractometer (XRD), and Raman spectroscopy. The as-fabricated TENG is used as mechanical energy harvester to generate open circuit voltage (Voc) of 102.5 V and short circuit current (Isc) of 0.80 μA. Furthermore, the power density of the as-fabricated TENG is 0.08 W/m2 at an external resistance load of 200 MΩ. For practical applications, TENG is used to power small electronics like LED, watch, and calculator. Further, borophene/PVDF hybrid nanofibers is used to fabricate single electrode based TENG (SE-TENG) to harvest energy from the rain drops, which generates Voc of 13 V and Isc of 0.10 μA. Integrating energy harvesting from different medium represents a significant advancement, as it provides higher output power density. This approach holds great promise for enhancing energy conversion efficiency of TENG technology and for exploring its applications in healthcare and consumer electronics.